5 Texas football players who will battle for their job in spring practice
Johntay Cook II, WR
Sarkisian and wide receivers coach Chris Jackson absolutely reloaded the receiving corps with high school and portal recruiting early this offseason. Texas added multiple blue-chip wideout recruits out of high school who can make an impact this upcoming season. But the primary additions to the receiving corps who can make an immediate impact as starters this fall were from the transfer portal.
Texas added three immediate impact, starting-caliber receivers from the portal this offseason, rising juniors Matthew Golden and Isaiah Bond. These will be incredibly important pieces for Texas to replace the three departing starters at wideout on offense in the SEC this upcoming season.
But the returning wideout who has the best shot to step into one of these starting jobs in the receiving corps is rising sophomore Johntay Cook II. Since Sarkisian and the Longhorns are trending toward playing something more akin to positionless football in the receiving corps in 2024, Cook can fit at multiple spots as a starter.
Cook must fend off the likes of Golden, Bond, redshirt senior Silas Bolden, sophomore DeAndre Moore Jr., etc., for reps in the receiving corps this spring. This is a wide receiver room that could be even deeper and more talented than last season's.
Cam Williams, OT
Kyle Flood and the Longhorns return four of five starters along the offensive line in 2024. This will probably be the best offensive line that rising redshirt junior quarterback Quinn Ewers has blocking in front of him during his career at Texas.
The one spot that loses a starter along the offensive line this offseason is right tackle, with the departure of redshirt senior Christian Jones.
Rising junior offensive tackle Cam Williams and true freshman Brandon Baker are expected to compete for the starting reps at right tackle this spring. Williams has the big body and multiple years of practice and a limited set of live-game reps to potentially give him the upper hand in this position battle.
Baker, meanwhile, is an incredibly talented freshman who has the tools and mature skill set necessary to make an early impact as a starting offensive tackle in the Power Five.
Williams is the likely candidate to get the first-team reps at offensive tackle early in spring ball, due to the experience factor and the fact that he's probably more physically-ready than his true freshman counterpart Baker. But Williams must fight to fend off Baker, who has all the makings of a future stud and eventual NFL Draft pick at offensive tackle on the 40.